Two of the things I said I’d never, ever let my children have. That’s what I get for schlepping my boys to Target.
Even the toddler bikinis looked cute to me this morning. I barely know myself anymore.
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OMG. You must have a FEVER if you’re liking the toddler-bikinis! You should lie down right away.
I know. It was frightening. Granted, they were on a hanger. On a toddler, I wouldn’t have been so into it.
How could you not allow waterguns?!!
Well, clearly, I caved. But guns are guns and I hate them. Water guns better not prove to be gateway guns.
I wrote a post last week, I think, about how my son loves toy guns. The response? Completely normal. Don’t be too hard on yourself. As for the shirts, I’ll be sure to keep my 4 year old away from Target because I have no doubt he’ll want one, too.
.-= C @ Kid Things´s last blog ..Always =-.
They wanted three, each. Stay away. The Toy Story aisle was a killer.
Just found your post browsing… The other day my little sister and I went shopping (She’s 17, I’m 24) and she was the one having to pull ME away from the Toy Story aisle lol
I wanted a t-shirt so bad, but they only seem to be making them in little boys sizes, ugh! I did walk away with a glow in the dark Little Green Man (3-eyed alien)
Those are two things I also loathe. Squirt guns because I am always,and I mean always, the target and character shirts because… well, just because. Luckily I don’t have a girl so I have escaped the whole Disney princess fiasco. The worst is when my kids want to wear SpongeBob. I draw the line there. It is bad enough that I have to hear his incessant laughing in the morning, I’m not going to be haunted by his menacing smile throughout the day. Yeah, he and I have issues. Obviously.
.-= JenniferG@Hip As I Wanna Be´s last blog ..Ultima Replenisher – Runner’s Review & Giveaway =-.
I say the SAME thing. I hate all of that stuff. But we’ll see how that one goes.
It’s amazing how one boy looks like you and the other like your husband. (I imagine, not having seen him.) Very sweet.
.-= Robin´s last blog ..Monday’s Muse: Trippin’ =-.
If only they were eating Lunchables in those photos…then you’d have a hat trick!
GAH!!! Never. Never, EVER!!!
ADORABLE!
My son CANNOT wait til Toy Story 3 comes out… every day its “When are we going to see Toy Story 3?”
.-= Corine´s last blog ..Music Mondays- Rose’s Song takes Complicated to a new level =-.
Oh man, how can anyone NOT think toddler bikinis are adorable???
I’m neither crazy about toy guns or character shirts, but I allow both. Must choose my battles and draw the line at character shoes.
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..There, But For The Grace Of The Universe… =-.
They ARE adorable, it’s the whole sexualizing of babies thing that creeps me out. But, they can be really, really cute.
Oh Come on you have to let them have at least the shirts, the guns I can understand. But the shirts? Really, I mean thats part of being a kid, just like Underoos and running around in them thinking your superman or batman etc.
I am on the ‘no toy guns’ bandwagon, but my sticking point is waterguns. They’re so fun…
.-= Rachael´s last blog ..One Month. Two Birthdays. Welcome to the Nuthouse! =-.
someone gave me winnie the pooh onesies at my baby shower and i had to fight the urge to make a gagging sound. i felt like the biggest snob, but i still put the onesies on the donate pile as soon as i got home–i just knew i would never use them, and i figured i might as well let someone else who would use them have two brand new onesies.
and i am still holding strong with the no guns policy, although my three year-old asks for them every.single.time. we are in a store, even the shoe store or the electronics store. it drives me nuts but i’m stubborn so he’s not getting a gun from me, even if it’s just so i can have the satisfaction of not letting that little booger get the best of me. because that’s what motherhood is all about: seeing who can hold out the longest.
I couldn’t agree more! My son wanted the spiderman tennis shoes, I said no…came home and sister had a hand me down bag from her boys…spiderman sandals were there! He was thrilled! So, I guess if it makes them smile, we suck it up…right?
.-= LoveFeast Table´s last blog ..Baltimore National Aquarium =-.
Right. Who would have thunk?
But mom, Toy Story shirts and water guns are fun. And I totally do it too, even after I swore I never would.
.-= Jennifer´s last blog ..Cooking Class =-.
The kids came home from a bday party yesterday with those same guns and I totally lost the battle to their adorable laughter. I will get rid of them as soon as I think they have forgotten for one moment how much they love them. Oh – and I lost the character battle at Disney World. Man I had such good intentions!
…then again I said I would never yell too….
.-= Brittany at Mommy Words´s last blog ..Better-Than-A-Picnic with Hebrew National =-.
I am more against brand shirts on kids (and adults!) than character shirts.
.-= Leslie´s last blog ..Monthly Budget: May 2010 =-.
Before you know it, you’ll be picking out BB guns at the Wal-Mart. (I would NEVER do such a thing for the boys in my life. NEVER! Oh wait. I did. Last Christmas. But we’re really rednecks.)
.-= Sara Plays House´s last blog ..One Of Those Long Update Posts. Enjoy. =-.
Ahhh. Toddler-kinis. I admire them from afar but have no use for them in my boy-universe. And, character shirts I’m okay with. It’s the character shoes and the shoes w/lights that we have a ban on. They only get those if they come from Mimi and then they only wear them when she will be the one carting them around town like Disney dorks. Toy guns simply can NOT be done without.
.-= parenting BY dummies´s last blog ..Ask Me Monday. Profile of a Power Mom Blogger. =-.
Mine daughter is only two, but I know it wont’ be long before she’s begging for something princess-y. Enjoying the calm before the storm.
As long as you are not wearing character shirts yourself we will not intervene.
.-= mrs.notouching´s last blog ..Because… =-.
Please, please shoot me if I ever do that. Please.
And apparently I can’t type today. That was supposed to be “My daughter” and “won’t.” Sorry — had to fix — I’m a grammar geek.
.-= Suzanne from pretty*swell´s last blog ..Swell Stuff {oh sweet joy!} =-.
I do that, too. :)
Nerf dart guns. I caved at Nerf Dart guns. My son (now 11) has 3 – one of them is a Nerf chain machine gun. How far I have fallen!
.-= Megan´s last blog ..Too Much Fun? Not Mom: A Living Out Loud entry =-.
I just put a character shirt, purchased expressly for a superhero party, into a donate pile. I cannot do it. The June tunic will never leave though. Sigh. CHoosing my battles carefully.
.-= amanda´s last blog ..Schooled =-.
I have also stated my children will never wear character shirts. Toy guns, eh, but character shirts?? Nope. My daughter has two she got for her birthday, and both of them are only worn as pj tops at home. No public outings for her in those. I’m hoping I can remain strong in this.
.-= Pua´s last blog ..Laundry day =-.
I’m SO glad I didn’t make those promises to myself because they would have been broken a loooooonnnnng time ago. It’s a battle I chose not to fight and since I’m a Hello Kitty addict myself, I would have had a harder time than most anyway :) Don’t worry you won’t die in a fiery flame :)
.-= Michelle Hires´s last blog ..iheartfaces – Play! =-.
Oh god I so hate those cartoon shirts/pj’s/swimsuits/shoes, you name it. I fear that one day I will fail too. Especially for the water guns. It is just too hot here not to have them.
.-= Rachel @ Mommy Needs a Vacation´s last blog ..Recipe of the Week: Summer Quinoa Chicken Salad with Roasted Corn, Tomatoes & Leeks =-.
ahahahaha; join the club!
Boys will be Boys it doesn’t matter how much effort a parent puts into shielding them from guns .. Years ago I was the same way. Then one afternoon as my son was eating a PB&J shaped like a Teddy Bear he started shooting it like a gun, sound effects and all!! Being home with him 24/7 I knew he had never seen a gun or heard one on TV. Of course I was shocked & some what amazed I told family members the story & my grandmother reminded me that as parents we NEVER say never & what we don’t like ends up in our family :) a
I tell Mandy every single day to please PLEASE stop saying the words “MY kids will never…”. She’s turning our unborn children into whining, rude, up my butt at all times brats!
Forgive yourself by plopping them in front of a video/game/computer and eat some pasta.
My older boys are now 15 and 13 and if I had a dollar for every time I did something I said I wouldn’t, I would be giving Warren Buffett a run for his money.
.-= Stefanie´s last blog ..martinis and periods =-.
there is a silver lining. my 4 yr old has decided she is a princess and refuses to wear anything that is not appropriate for a princess (she has a whole set of rules). Lasr February her school decided to celebrated carnival, and I forgot to dress her up (worstmotherintheworld 101).
Watching all the kids dressed up in all sorts of fancy costumes I wanted to bury myself in the ground. Then a mother approached me and said “I loooove your daughter’s costume, is she a hippie?”
me “yes”
problem solved
LOL, that’s hilarious!!
Just curious, what is up with the no guns and no character stuff? My daughter has a bunch of hand me down princess nightgowns and a care bear shirt, not too much else because it isn’t her style but why no guns? I have heard other people say this but I just not brave enough to ask them in person LOL! A gal that lives in the neighborhood her son is dressed as batman 90 % and a cowboy the other 10 % of the time and ALWAYS has some sort of gun with him and his Dad is a police officer. We always play pretend you shot me and I never think twice about it.
I just don’t like the trendiness/tackiness of the character stuff. I prefer no labels, no characters, no nothin’. That’s just me.
As far as the guns, guns just scare the shit out of me. I wish that nobody but law enforcement officials could own them. I think the cons far outweigh the pros and I don’t think we should teach kids that guns are a game. Swords, sticks and stones they can have. I’m just not OK with guns.
ok I totally get the tacky thing from the character stuff thanks
i too agree it is not funny for kids to be playing with toy guns, especially the kind that are so freakin life-like these days!!! promoting violence i say! however to state that only law enforcement should have them is in my opinion asking for lots of trouble, seeing as there are corrupt law enforcement officials out there. there will also always be bad guys with guns whether they are allowed to have them or not, and one should be able to protect ones self and family. it is all about RESPONSIBLE gun ownership, especially when you have children in the house. remember, its not the guns that kill people. people kill people. haha, call you tell im from texas??? ;)
can* you tell, heh. :/
My parents never bought me character shirts, outfits or shoes. I had very plain parents growing up. Now I do everything as opposite as can be from them. My girls run around in character everything =) As for the water guns, its really fun to run around and squirt your kids.
My parents were the same way. I’m surprised I haven’t totally rebelled, too. And, yes, being on that end of the gun is fun. :)
Boy Ive done it all LOL.
Character shoes, shirts, hats, bags, you name it. Mainly because its easier than arguing. I said for SO long that I wouldn’t allow them, so around when my boys turned 5 I let them start wearing them, now theyre 8 and 9 and wont be caught dead in anything with a character on it.
As for squirt guns, no thanks, that and Nerf guns- BAD stuff. My sanity cannot handle that!
Welcome to the Dark Side. Mwahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!
.-= TeacherMommy´s last blog ..7 Quick Takes, Awards, and Blog Flogging (Oh My!) =-.
When my kids were little, each year for Father’s Day, they’d get their dad new Super Soaker waterblasters… the only toy guns I would EVER allow in our house. I lost the character-Tees battle before it began.
Character tees I never resisted. Mostly because I remember how much I loved mine and my girls also wanted characters I loved so resistance was futile. As for the guns thing, water guns are ok as long as you have one too! Especially in the summer time.
.-= Hockeymandad´s last blog ..Perfect Laziness =-.
I bought a toddler bikini the other day. I’ve officially crossed the line from tacky into questionnable parenting. My line of thinking, bear with me here, was that every time I put her in a suit and get near water, she takes the suit off and runs around au naturel. So I thought, a risqué swimsuit is better than none at all. And of course, she LOVES it.
I should add that it will only be worn in our back yard. I don’t care if I have to duck tape it on, she will keep her one piece on when we go to Myrtle Beach next month.
.-= Carabee´s last blog ..Thumbs Up! =-.
They do look just too freaking adorable in their shirts. Yesterday, at the park, one of my boys picked up a toy squirt gun on the ground and got this look of sheer wonder and excitement on his face. lol. Here we go, I thought…e
I was just tonight thinking about how much the boys are into Toy Story and Cars, etc. and how I *swore* I would *never* do the character thing. EVER. Needless to say, my daughter is way into the Princesses. lol. I don’t like the stuff, but they sure do, so I caved. Just one of many things I caved on!
.-= Momlissa @ Binkies & Bandaids´s last blog ..Finding the !!! in a Very Long Weekend =-.
I wrote a post about toy weaponry, we have a ridiculous arsenal. I don’t presume to understand the psyche of boy, it seems I just enable it. Love the pics, adorable boys!
.-= Your Mommy Friend Lori´s last blog ..The First Time =-.
Oh…me too. I hate character stuff – yet my daughter scampers up to bed in princess theme nighties without a glance at the tasteful pjs I proffer. And I JUST posted on Friday about encouraging Oliver to play with toy guns to help him fit in better. So sad…
Yep. I said the same thing about my boys too and yet, last Christmas, one of my boys even got a BB gun. Call me crazy.
.-= debi9kids´s last blog ..It Only Took 99 Bottles of Beer to Get Us to Chicago… =-.
I am so with you on the ‘no character’ shirts and toys. But then of course my darling daughter discovered ‘Bumba’, our local (Belgian) toddler hero. Bumba, my friends, is a lovely, happy clappy clown and the most anoying person EVER!
She doesn’t have any Bumba clothes yet but the toys… Willing grandparents gave her a few books for Christmas, since then I find myself reading them to her at least four times a day. And yes I caved in and bought a Bumba puzzle and toddler bowling set. Pity me.
Oh, just so you know, the company that created Bumba is thinking of going global. You are hereby warned…
Guess this is why people say “never say never,” although I hate when they say that…it always means I’m going to prove myself wrong. My sister bought Hailey a bikini this year and I’m pretty sure Husband had a minor aneurism…he can’t stand them.
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..Rash Watch 2010…gross, right? =-.
I don’t think I have ever walked into Target and spent less than $50 even if I was just going in for toilet paper!
.-= This Mama Works It!´s last blog ..This Mama Works It is back in action! Check out the changes and my first vblog!!! =-.
Laughing my head off!
How cute are those little gun holders? : )
My kid is so weird. He hates character shirts… Isn’t that odd. He likes to wear a (knockoff) polo shirt every day.
.-= Life with Kaishon´s last blog ..Philadelphia Photo Walk 2010 =-.
Here’s why preschool bikinis are good: they can still go to the bathroom without having to get undressed. Imagine trying to pull a wet bathing back on and being 3. Not fun, even when mommy helps. As for character shirts, I use the excuse that they are for messy play and ice cream. I have no excuse for the water guns I bought my kids yesterday. But I had all those rules too. Oh well. I wasn’t going to yell, either.
.-= Jerseygirl´s last blog ..The First Step =-.
Watch out… character t-shirts are gateway clothing. Next thing you know they’ll be into cosplay and LARPing in the park.
.-= Distracted Daddy´s last blog ..Pink is the new everything. =-.
Graphic t-shirts are obnoxious, especially the “here comes trouble” kind. It cries out, “Look out Juvi-, here I come!”
Toy Story’s okay — my toddler is obsessed with Cinderella, something I promised would never happen in this house.
.-= Sara — The Football Wife´s last blog ..$5 Treasure – Toddler Chef Pleasure =-.
Jenifer is right –
I’ve seen the sandwich gun too…and the popsicle gun, stick gun, tinkertoy gun, paper gun etc etc etc. Luckily they can’t make their own hideous character shirts. Grandma seems to find the most disgusting ones (my favorite is the prison garb orange one with transformers) ugh. They also bought the nerf machine gun. Thanks ALOT.
I too am anti-character shirts and anti-guns. So far i have held strong (although my MIL has gotten him a few character shirts which he wears when he is over at her home… not with me). I don’t what it is, but I just don’t like them. I think the shirts are sortove tacky and that the guns are too violent (although I realize i am being super judgmental). Anywho…
And I even had a water gun when i was little… I LOVED it.
.-= Melissa´s last blog ..good times at the lake. =-.
You won’t find it to be easy to keep guns out of your boy’s hands. Even if they don’t own play guns they will make them out of sticks, toys and their hands. It is just what we do.
I am proud to say that I have never bought a bikini for any of my little girls. Granted, I have an entire bin full of plastic weapons….
Lolli recently posted..From Mischievous To Mothering
Oh, yes, I said the same thing. I still take pride in the fact that up to age 2, my son called squirt guns “hairdryers.” Alas, those days are long gone. And now he refuses to wear any shirt that doesn’t have some hideous character on it. Sigh.
Target. And Costco. These two will be my undoing. I am with you: No character t-shirts nor guns. But don’t beat yourself up (you don’t think like you are since those are some great shots. LOL) I knew a woman who absolutely refused to let any gun-style toys into her house. One day her boys bit the PBJ into the shape of a gun and started “shooting” at each other. What you gonna do? Ban PBJ now too? ;-) LOL
subWOW recently posted..Warning: Do not read this if you are my husband
I’ve put my foot down this summer… no more arts & crafts camps! My kid’s room is crammed full of stuff; we don’t have any more room for another clay figure… I wonder how long I last before I cave?
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God…isn’t part of motherhood having to constantly eat your words?
Sarah at the Stroller Ballet recently posted..Here’s what I have to deal with. I’m just trying to decorate, really…
I am with you. As long as they only squirt each other and don’t talk about killing one another. And why do little bikini’s have to be so cute?
Ok, I’ve been following you for awhile and this is the first comment I’ve left. Starting to feel like a stalker…anyway, I have two boys and I have always sworn on my favorite Dior lipstick that I would never buy guns. While I don’t really dislike them as much as say, bullets, they’re still down on the list for me. However, my son managed to form a graham cracker (are you reading this??) into the shape of a squirt gun he saw at the pool. One thing led to another, and he has amassed a pretty sizeable water gun/soaker collection.
Along with some horribly ugly Scooby tees.
He’s not allowed to watch Scooby. We can’t win.
Oh, the dreaded squirt guns. I have to say that they’re actually great fun on a warm summer afternoon and harmless as long as they’re not squirting mom!
Tina recently posted..The Fisher Price iXL Learning System | The iPad For Preschoolers updated Mon May 31 2010 3:42 pm CDT
Awesome, we love character shirts over here. And toy guns.
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